Tuesday, July 06, 2004

"Mr. Kerry also dealt with the issue so often cited by Republicans as evidence that he is outside the mainstream on abortion. Mr. Kerry has a 100 percent voting record with Naral Pro-Choice America, and has often spoken about his commitment to abortion rights and the appointment of judges who will uphold them.

But in an interview with The Telegraph Herald in Dubuque, published Sunday, Mr. Kerry emphasized his personal opposition to abortion. He also tried to counter the criticism from within his church hierarchy that an elected official could not advocate the right to abortion and be a good Catholic. Mr. Kerry said he was abiding by both his conscience and the line between church and state in America.
'I oppose abortion, personally,' he told the newspaper. 'I don't like abortion. I believe life does begin at conception. But I can't take my Catholic belief, my article of faith, and legislate it on a Protestant or a Jew or an atheist ...who doesn't share it. We have separation of church and state in the United States of America.'
The Bush campaign reacted strongly to Mr. Kerry's statement of personal opposition to abortion. 'John Kerry's efforts to mislead voters in the heartland are offensive,' said Kevin Madden, a Bush campaign spokesman. 'His rhetoric is at odds with a long record of opposing common-sense measures like the ban on partial-birth abortion.'"